UCSI University, Malaysia

Project 3P1G: 3 Plants for 1 Graduate

Deforestation is a painful “necessity” for every developing country. Cheras, straddling in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is a rapidly developing suburban city which is currently endangered by unsustainable development practices of deforestation for new residential and commercial projects. Hillside constructions can lead to soil erosion and landslide disasters, as well as a threat to its gradually diminishing ‘Green Lung’ in the suburban.

In putting a halt to this peril, UCSI University, Cheras community, World Wide Fund (WWF), Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Regional Centre of Expertise, Greater Kuala Lumpur (RCE GKL) and advocators to sustainable development and UN SDGs, mutually come together for this project.

Together, they work towards protecting its green areas, including the newly gazetted Sungai Besi Forest by adopting it as Cheras Community Forest. UCSI University staff and students and the community will plant 1,000 native trees at Sungai Besi Forest Reserve in 2023/24 for forest conservation and forest carbon offset as part of its 3P1G (3 Plants 1 Graduate) Initiative.

Top 3 Learnings

1. We have experienced that organisations out there are willing to partner and fund sustainability projects like tree planting.
2. We realised, trees planting requires huge manpower contributions, and the government requires cooperation/collaboration with the private sectors.
3. Our students are keen to contribute to sustainability endeavours. They want to make a difference to the future.